An emergency Dodgers-Brewers trade after Mookie Betts’ broken hand

The unfortunate news is out. Mookie Betts suffered a broken bone in his wrist following a hit-by-pitch in Sunday's game against the Royals. There's no official timetable for a return yet, but the Los Angeles Dodgers need to act fast in order to replace Betts.

Last week, I proposed a hypothetical trade between the Dodgers and the Brewers that would help build depth in the Dodgers infield while fixing the hole in the Brewers pitching staff. Obviously, this was proposed before the Betts injury, but it now makes a ton more sense for the Dodgers to aggressively pursue the hypothetical proposed much more so than before.

After all, losing an MVP candidate is an absolute emergency.

A Dodgers-Brewers trade for Willy Adames following Mookie Betts' injury

Last week, I wrote, "Adames has been good this year, but he is on an expiring deal which adds to the risk of trading for him. That's the kind of risk that the Dodgers are willing to take, and the Brewers may not be."

It made sense for the Dodgers to be willing to inquire about an expiring infielder like Adames then, but it now makes a ton more sense for them to do it. Los Angeles doesn't need a franchise shortstop right now. That's what Mookie Betts is for them. They need a band-aid to stop the bleeding until Betts returns. That's what Adames would do for them.

This is the exact deal I proposed a week ago and now it looks even more ready to be sent in.

It's rare to find a trade between two first-place teams but this makes sense for a ton of different reasons. Let's dive deeper.

Why would the Brewers consider moving Adames at all? He's on an expiring contract. They could move him, shift some infielders around, and their offense would be fine. Their pitching staff gets light years better with the addition of Knack, especially for the future.

For the Dodgers, this trade is simple. They need a shortstop until Betts returns. After that, Adames can be moved around as a flexible infielder, playing anywhere the Dodgers need him to. His bat would stick in their lineup and it would make their team even more dangerous. Knack doesn't have a spot in Los Angeles right now, so the Dodgers could trade him and not suffer the consequences just yet.

Will this trade happen? Who knows. It's incredibly rare for two contending teams to be able to come together like this. But it makes sense. If both teams are willing to risk it, this deal could happen. Either way, the Dodgers need to replace Betts. Bad.